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Winnebago Master Gardeners

Mission Statement: Our purpose is to provide horticulture education, community service and environmental stewardship for our community in affiliation with the University of Wisconsin Extension Program.

Inside this issue Presidents Pen 2 Seed for Thought 9 Food for Thought 15

Dates to Remember 3 The Latest Dirt 10 Calendar 16

Sharing Your Time 4 Cuts and Clips 11 Growing Pains 17

It’s a Gardener’s Life 5 Show us Your Bloomers 12 What Am I? 18

African Violets 6 Buzzing Around 13 Minutes 18

WHAT’S GROWING ON?

Submitted by Virginia Slattery

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The President’s Pen

We’ve made it through another week of abnormal cold and the spring seed catalogs have started to arrive in the mail. It is wonderful to sit back and dream about spring as I am looking at the colorful pictures of the flowers.

I would like to thank our new newsletter team for the great job that they are doing on the newsletter. The articles are informative and love the pictures!

We have speakers lined up for our February and March business meetings.

In February Sheila Glaske from the Paine Gardens and Arboretum will be talking to us. In March our new Agricultural Agent at the Winnebago County UW-Extension, Darrell McCauley, will be giving a presentation on Straw Bale Gardening. We also will be having our project leads from our Long Term Projects giving an overview of their projects and how members can volunteer to help on them.

Don’t forget to check the newsletter and the UWEX Master Gardener website for information on conferences being held in the state. Two conferences close by to attend are the Outagamie MGA Conference and Fond du Lac MGA Conference.

These are great ways to get your continuing education hours completed.

We are looking forward to seeing everyone at our Winter Escapes/Summer Dreams event on February 7 at Reeve Memorial Union on the UW-Oshkosh campus.

Stay Warm, Mary and Linda

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NEWS ALERT

We have many wonderful items that were donated for the silent auction at our

upcoming Winter Escapes/Summer Dreams on Sat., Feb. 7. If you haven’t registered

yet, there is still time! Go to our web site www.winnebagomastergardeners.org to

find the registration form and speaker information. Have questions? Contact Audrey

Ruedinger at 231-5745.

UPCOMING EVENTS

February 3- Board Meeting 6:00 p.m. February 7- Winter Escape/ Summer Dreams-Winnebago MGA February 10- Business Meeting 6:00 p.m. February 14- Madison Bus trip- Garden Expo February 17- Project lead meeting February 21- A Day in the Garden, Fond du Lac MGA Conference March 28- Marinette MGA Conference March 28- Outagamie MGA Conference Flower Arranging at Park View Health Center at 1:30 PM

February no flower arranging March 23 flowers from Pick N Save April 20 flowers from Pick N Save

Dates to Remember

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The Park View Prairie has been a core project for many years. The Project Lead for many of these years was Ken Hawk. He has shaped the small garden into a wonderful prairie with many varieties of native plants. I visited it this summer and was amazed at the color and natural setting.

To volunteer at the Park View prairie gardens contact the new project lead, Sally Lindo. She is taking over the garden and will be updating us on new ways to help keep the prairie a beautiful place.

Park View Prairie by Eric Kropp

The prairie garden at Park View is a great place to visit. It is nearby but off the beaten track. Parking is easy and there is no difficult trek or long walk through a swamp. When you get there, there are benches to sit on and enjoy a wonderful outdoor setting. I encourage everyone to visit it often throughout the growing season so you do not miss the flowering of a particular plant or the insects that the plants attract. After enjoying the prairie garden, there are paths through surrounding fields and the restored prairie that runs along the railroad tracks and County Y to the Extension offices.

The prairie garden is not very big. It is a triangular area that was created by two service roads merging together. It takes only a minute or two walk around it. Due to the many varieties planted, you have access to many plants. Ken Hawk, the Project Leader for many years, created a list of 100 plants that have grown there. This gives the visitor an opportunity to see plants that may be difficult to find in a natural or restored prairie. The small size allows it to be managed to keep out woody and non-native plants. Management also keeps a small number of plants from dominating the garden.

This past year I took the opportunity to help on this project. I also set a weekly “event” on my phone to remind me to visit on the way home from work. I did not make it every week but when I did I tried to remember the camera. I have lots of pictures and I saw plants I have never seen in bloom. Like all gardens, the prairie garden changes rapidly through the season. If you miss a plant blooming, you will have to wait until next year.

My plan for this coming year is to keep you up to date on what is growing and blooming at the garden. If you have questions, I will track down the prairie/wild flower experts among us. The internet or a field guide is a great way to identify and learn about these plants. I will also share with you natural and restored prairies that are in the area. Come to the prairie garden workdays, it is a great way to become familiar with the plants and the park.

Late May brings Shooting Stars but the Pasqueflowers may already be done.

Sharing Your Time

By Kathy Gore

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I was born in Evanston, Illinois and grew up in Glenview. This suburb of Chicago is near the Glenview Naval Station where the Thunderbirds practiced in the '60's and where George H.W. Bush trained. I attended the University of Chicago and Rush Medical College. I also did my post medical training at Rush. I currently am a neurologist working in private practice. My practice focuses on brain waves and spinal cord functioning of patients especially during brain or spinal surgery. This is done to improve safety. It's very high tech and very cool! I'm married and have 4 children. My wife, Susan, is a parish nurse for the First Presbyterian Church in Neenah. So far none of my children have caught the garden bug--but I'm still hoping! I am a newly certified MG member. Thus far, I have done some volunteering for the Paine Festival of Spring, the Plant Health Advisors, the Octagon House, and the new Omro Library project. I have enjoyed them all, but one of my favorites is the Plant Health Advisors. I like doing the detective work and research to provide the answers people need. I've also enjoyed the groundbreaking work at Omro. Growing up, I had a "surrogate" aunt and uncle who were very into gardening. They taught me a ton! I learned about vegetable gardening, roses, perennials, shrubs, trees, composting, mulching. Just about everything! Also, during high school I was the youngest member (by 40 years) of a men's garden club. Living in Chicago gave me the opportunity to visit some of the great meccas of horticulture. A medium-sized lot surrounds my 74-year-old house. My special interest is ornamental gardening. I first began with imports and exotic species, but I am now replacing them with Midwestern planting. I'm also trying to attract more birds and butterflies. I'm currently treating a mature Green Ash against EAB. Of course, like all of us, I'm trying not to bite off more than I can chew. Oh, I also have a side hobby of Bonsai! I'm learning the techniques of overwintering against that nasty polar vortex.

IT’S A GARDENER’S LIFE – Joseph Jares

By Virginia Slattery

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African Violets have been a popular houseplant for over 70 years but I have not been growing them for

that long. The plant originates from the mountain forests of northern Tanzania in east tropical Africa.

The original specimens were found in the late 1800’s and were sent to Europe for study. A number of

species were identified over time but recent genetic studies have reduced it to just 6 species with a

number of subspecies and variations. However, today there are over 10,000 hybrids registered with the

African Violet Society of America (AVSA at www.avsa.org).

How do you get to 10,000 hybrids? There is variation in plant size, flower color, flower shape, flower

patterns, flower complexity, leaf color, shape, texture and variegation. Knowing the correct terms, each

hybrid can be described by just a few words – see the first picture. It sounds like a lot of hybrids but by

comparison there are close to 80,000 daylilies and over 5,000 hostas.

I have been growing African Violets for about 15 years. It has been a great experience. I have learned

about plants, in general, and a lot about African Violets. I am a member of the Oshkosh Violet Society

and often participate in their annual show.

Probably the best characteristics of the plant are its simple beauty, the ease with which they grow and

flower, the ease of propagation and the variety available. However, they are not indestructible and the

following will help you maintain healthy plants. I break it down into seven topics of care: potting mix,

watering, lighting, temperature and humidity, fertilizer, grooming and repotting. Feel free to ask me

questions, search the internet or head to the library. The AVSA’s bimonthly magazine is available at the

Oshkosh Public Library.

Potting Mix – Because the roots of these plants are very fine, a light potting mix is needed. There are

many variations but a simple one is 1 part peat moss, 1 part pearlite and 1 part vermiculite. These are

readily available in small quantities from garden centers so you can make your own. Purchased mixes

may need additional pearlite to further lighten it. Before using a mix, stir some water into it and let it sit

a few hours so it is uniformly damp. The components are very dry and can repel water for a surprisingly

long time.

Watering – The single point about watering is to not over water the plant. You can kill a plant by not

watering it but you will surely kill it by over watering. Do not let the plant sit in water. The plant should

be kept damp. Water should sit for 24 hours at room temperature before using. It can be added to the

top or bottom of the pot.

Lighting – African Violets can do well receiving just natural light. They need plenty of light but not direct,

intense sunlight. The recommendation is an east or a west window. I have plant stands with fluorescent

lights. The fluorescent lights provide bright light without the heat. The lights should be 10-12 inches

away from the tops of the plants and on for 10-12 hours per day. Even with artificial light, I notice my

plants do best in the spring when they receive additional natural light and the temperature and

humidity start to moderate.

African Violets – Care Basics By Eric Kropp

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Feeding/Fertilizing – African Violets will need fertilizer to thrive and bloom. The easiest way is to

continuously fertilize using a balanced (12-12-12), water soluble product. The fertilizer should also

provide the micronutrients needed by the plant. A fertilizer with higher phosphorous to promote

blooming (12-36-14) is an alternative. The fertilizer should not contain urea as the source of nitrogen.

There is a feeling that the potting mix does not support the bacteria needed to breakdown urea into

nitrogen that the plant can use. The urea content is noted on the label.

Temperature and Humidity – African Violets do well in normal indoor temperatures. They even like it

cooler at night. The indoor humidity can be more variable. In winter, the dry air will dry out a plant much

faster and require more frequent watering to maintain the desired dampness. In other seasons with

higher humidity a plant will need less water.

Grooming – This includes removing old leaves and flowers stems, rotating the pot for even growth,

removing suckers and generally assessing the plant on a regular basis. The lower, outer leaves are the

oldest and it is normal for them to turn yellow and die. The same is true for spent flower stems and old

buds. Rotating the plant for even light exposure will keep the plant growing evenly. This is particularly

true for plants that only get natural light. Most African Violets should only have one crown but a plant

will often produce suckers. These are easiest to remove when they first emerge. A pair of tweezers or a

thin blade knife is all that is needed to remove a sucker. Although optional, grooming may include

removing the developing buds. The plant will respond by producing more leaves. Once disbudding is

stopped, the plant will produce a large quantity of flowers. This is often done for show plants.

Repotting – This is another maintenance item that should be done regularly (every 6 to 10 months). It

will solve two problems. As the old leaves die and are removed, the stem will be exposed and detract

from the appearance. The other problem is fertilizer build up in the potting mix will adversely affect the

plant’s health. When repotting, a large amount of the root ball can be removed – lower third to half. By

removing the lower portion of the roots, the plant will be lower in the pot, which will bury the neck.

Note that the stem should be scrapped before burying. This will encourage root growth from the stem.

The pot can often be the same size or one step larger as African Violets do well when pot bound. Going

to a much larger pot can result in too much moisture for the plant and cause problems.

African Violets are available at local stores, shows and sales, friends or your Co-Vice President. The

internet offers an opportunity to select from many different hybrids and species. Starter leaves and

young plants are available. Two nurseries that have great websites and numerous hybrid plants are

Violet Barn and Lyndon Lyons Greenhouse. The Violet Barn is also a great source of information. They

sell other houseplants including these close relatives of African Violets: streptocarpus, shinnigias,

primulinas and kohlerias.

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Mas Pinat

(Violet Barn) Semi -double lavender-pink pansies flowers with heavy

purple fantasy splashes and variable white edging. Dark, variegated

foliage. Standard size.

Acas Summer Parfait (Violet Barn) Robs Mad Cat (Violet Barn)

Instant Attraction (Lyndon Lyons Greenhouse)

Submit items for the newsletter by the 15th of the month.

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by Jennifer Footit-Tank

It’s that time of year when many of us will make a New Year’s resolution to improve our health and vigor through some type of health maintenance. This is also the time of year that we must extend this same courtesy to our fruit trees for the same reason. Pruning and training are best done when the trees are dormant and before spring growth starts. Without leaves we are better able to view branch angles, water sprouts, scaffold limbs, and windows for picking the fruit. This yearly maintenance allows for better pest management, improving airflow for disease prevention and maximum fruit production.

When it comes to demonstrating how to properly prune fruit trees, everyone will give you a different answer. There are many videos available on the YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/) on how to properly prune your particular fruit tree. Watch several and follow the one that fits your desired outcome. UW Extension provides an excellent, free source for training and pruning apple trees at http://learningstore.uwex.edu/assets/pdfs/A1959.pdf

Below are some commonly referred to references but are often poorly diagramed.

This type of pruning allows you to obtain the desired “wine glass” shape for the tree.

The bud on the left is a leaf bud that can be pruned. The bud on the right is a fruiting spur that you most likely will keep.

So bundle-up, grab your pruners and telescoping loppers and give those trees the much-needed attention. When the leaves turn their fall colors, all of your hard work will pay off as you are harvesting delicious fruit to enjoy into the cold months.

SEED FOR THOUGHT

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Mentors needed! Twelve or more of the newly graduated class members are interested in having a mentor. What's involved? Just being friendly, able to answer questions (either by phone or e- mail), giving advice about projects, being a friendly face at meetings.... Perhaps you could turn them toward a project that fits their interest and schedule. Mainly, being a mentor is sharing your love of gardening and your experience. If you are interested in helping a new member assimilate into our group, please contact or talk to me so that I can try to match you up with someone with your same interests.

Virginia Slattery, new member liaison

PHOTOGRAPHER NEEDED We are looking for a photographer for the newsletter. Do you have interest in photography? Need hours? If so, please contact one of the editors.

2015 Project Lead Meeting The Project Lead meeting will be at 5:30 on February 17th at the Coughlin Center. This meeting is for leads on both types of projects or those interested in becoming a lead in the future. We will discuss the new forms, funding requests and reimbursements, project experiences and documentation. A light meal will be provided. We will send an agenda and additional emails before the meeting. Bette Hoytink and Eric Kropp- WCMGA Vice Presidents

Do you have any items like this handed down to you? Please submit them to one of the editors

The Latest Dirt

Tried and True: submitted by Lynne Slat

Did you know vinegar has many benefits? Check out the many uses at:

http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/info/use-vinegar-in-gardens.htm

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Tasks for February By Marge Bolding

Houseplants, Perennials & Annuals

When forced bulbs have bloomed, continue to water the plant and put it in a sunny window, and then plant in spring. It may take a year or two for forced bulbs to regain their vigor.

WEEK 1- Inspect dahlia and begonia tubers and all other stored rooted plants for rot or desiccation.

WEEK 2- Start tuberous begonias in pots.

WEEK 3- Start seeds for impatiens, vincas, pansies and geraniums.

WEEK 4- Start caladiums in pots.

Vegetables and Herbs

WEEK 2- Start seeds for leeks and onions. Use a sterile soilless seed-starting medium to avoid damping-off disease.

Lawns, Trees and Shrubs

Prune dormant trees and summer-flowering shrubs.

Fruits and Berries

If renovating old apple trees, prune no more than 1/3 of old growth each year. See UW-Extension publication #A1959, “Training and Pruning Apple Trees,” at learningstore.uwex.edu

Spray dormant oil to control scale and other overwintering pests. Spray on any day above 40° F and when forecast temperatures remain above freezing for 24hours. This may be done until the buds swell. Remove and destroy any mummified fruits, galls or egg clusters on trees and shrubs. Check for fire blight cankers on susceptible varieties of apples and pears; remove by pruning 6-8 inches below the cankers. Disinfect pruners between cuts. Source: 2008 Wisconsin Garden Journal: “The Year Round Garden: A Plan for all Seasons,” – Madison Area Master Gardener’s Association.

CUTS AND CLIPS

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Member Gardens

Lawanda Jungwirth

Linda Beaten

Mary Jo Maher Lynne Slatt

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By Mary Jo Maher

Sometimes one gets lucky when going from point A to point B and you just happen to run across a garden center. This happens to be how I ran across these two garden centers. I always break for flowers! Both of the garden centers have a wide selection of plants and statuary. Let’s go discover the Greenleaf and New Holstein area!

Greenleaf Landscaping & Gardens is located at 6919 County Road PP in Greenleaf. It is one of the area’s best-kept secrets! The word is out that Greenleaf Landscaping and Gardens has everything that you would need or want to create a unique and beautiful landscape as well as awesome home décor items.

This Garden Center/Gift Shop is a place to find fun, unique plants and garden art that you can’t find anywhere else. The Gift Shop is a gem all its own with beautiful, affordable home décor, fashion items, seasonal items and a great selection of wines and beers to try. You can find a gift for anyone.

Our plant selection includes new and tried and true varieties of trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals and veggies.

We have a friendly, knowledgeable team that is here to help you with questions or ideas for specific areas of your yard. We have landscape designers on staff that will come to your home and give you ideas or draw complete landscape designs. Our professional landscape crews are able to install all phases of your landscape. Services include: Lawn, Shrub Beds, Retaining Walls, Water Features, Paver Brick Patios and Walkways as well as yard cleanup, pruning and mulching.

Come bring your friends and experience Greenleaf Landscaping and Gardens. A fun day out!

To view our specials, special events and classes along with Landscape Tips and highlights of what’s new, go to www.greenleaflandscaping.com. Subscribe to our newsletter for monthly information.

BUZZING AROUND

GREENLEAF GARDEN CENTER- 6919 CTY RD PP, GREENLEAF

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Greenleaf Garden Center

Honeymoon Acres 2700 Ford Street, New Holstein

From Honeymoon Acres to you, if you do not know who we are this is a short story. It started

when I was born, my parents had a greenhouse in PA. I grew up in the greenhouse learning

and watching. I then moved to Wisconsin in 1980, worked with my brothers in honeybees

and greenhouse. In 1983 I got married to Marci, and we started our first greenhouse in 1984,

a 1000 sq. ft. area. We sold plants that spring, with $5 in our pocket to start, (go to our

website to learn more about our start) and after many hours of work at the greenhouse and

other jobs we got to where our place is now. Our place is 135,000 sq. ft. of inside growing

area and 40,000 sq. ft. outside.

Our commitment to making our place the best greenhouse in the area has not stopped. We

still have plans on future projects to make your plant gathering even more fun. Our clients

come from everywhere to find plants, some of which you may not find anywhere else. We

grow 80% of the plants from seed or cuttings, which we start in mid-December, with our staff

of 4 (our children) and a little temp help in spring.

What do we have: 70 kinds of Roses; 35 kinds of Herbs; 26 kinds of hot peppers; 32 kinds of

sweet peppers; 24 heirloom tomatoes; 39 other kinds of tomatoes and many other veggies

including sweet potatoes; over 600 kinds of perennials; and many other annuals so numerous

it is hard to list them all. Visit our website to see everything @ honeymoonacres.com. We

also have a selection of Lawn Ornaments and Metal Garden Art. We do carry potting soil with

Honeymoon Acres Brand on it. At the end of the day we are here to have as many plants as

possible for very reasonable prices.

Joe & Marci and the Crew at Honeymoon

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Looking for places to eat in this area:

D&G Restaurant, 6794 Hwy 57, Greenleaf The Village Inn,1706 W Wisconsin Ave, New Holstein South Town Family Restaurant, 1305 Milwaukee Dr., New Holstein

By Linda Loker Source: food.com

CINNAMON CANDY POPCORN

8 qts popped popcorn 1-cup butter 1/2 cup light corn syrup 9 oz. red-hot cinnamon candies Place popcorn in large bowl. Grease flat deep baking pans. Bring to boil in saucepan butter, syrup and candies over med heat, stirring constantly. Boil 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour over popcorn and mix thoroughly. Turn onto greased pans. Bake one hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove popcorn from pans onto wax or foil paper to cool. Store in an airtight container. Microwave method: Place popcorn in large brown grocery bag; pour syrup over and stir in bag. Fold over top of bag and microwave 90 seconds; take bag out and shake very well, holding top of bag securely closed. Microwave 60 seconds and repeat shaking. Microwave 60 seconds and shake well. Pour out onto wax or foil. Cool. This is fast and easy!

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

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February

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Board Meeting 6:00 PM

Winter Escape/Summer Dreams

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Business Meeting 6:00 PM

Valentine’s Day

Madison Bus Trip

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

Project Lead Meeting 5:30 PM

Fond du Lac MG conference

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

March 2015

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Board Meeting 6:00 PM

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Business Meeting 6:00 PM

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

Park View Flower Arranging 1:30

Marinette MG Conference

Outagamie MG Conference

29 30 31

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Garden-topics.net

Wear Appropriate Clothing The best way to manage health and safety is to eliminate any risks by finding safer methods or even avoiding the need for the activity in the first place. However, there are some risks that we cannot avoid and therefore, we should be suitably dressed to safeguard ourselves. Strong waterproof shoes or boots are very important. Trying to garden in flimsy footwear is simply inviting serious accidents. Similarly, most of the time you need to protect your hands with a sturdy pair of gardening gloves. • Wear gloves when handling chemicals and if you are spraying, then wear a facemask and

protection for your eyes. • If you are using machinery such as a lawn mower, you also need to wear clothing that will

protect you against missiles such as stones that are picked up and thrown out by the mower.

• Much gardening is done on your knees and therefore you should protect them, either with strap on kneepads or with some form of substantial kneeling cushion. • Some items of garden equipment, such as chain saws, are notoriously dangerous, particularly in the hands of the inexperienced gardener. You would be well advised to seek our proper instruction on how to use such equipment safely. In addition, you need addition protection for hands, arms, legs and eyes. • In some cases you may also need to protect your hearing from prolonged use of particularly noisy equipment. Use, either earmuffs or

other form of protection that is designed for the purpose. • The sun can also pose a threat to health and safety. Use sun screen, sunglasses and

preferably wear clothing and a hat to protect you from the direct rays of the sun. It is generally good practice to tuck trouser bottoms into your socks to guard against the possibility of bitten by mosquitoes or ticks.

I am a popular ornamental plant, a shrub or a tree depending on pruning preference, grown for my clusters of fragrant rich yellow to orange-red flowers, which begin to expand in autumn slightly before the leaves fall, and continue throughout the winter. My generic name means “together with fruit” which refers to the fact that I am the only tree in North America to have flowers, ripe fruit and next year’s leaf buds on its branches at the same time. I can reach 30 feet high and 15 feet wide at maturity and I am a favorite with gardeners looking for winter color and fragrance. I thrive in USDA planting zones 3-9, like moist soil although I am adaptable, and will thrive in part shade to full sun. I require minimal care including regular watering the first season and pruning only to shape as desired. Seeds, layering or softwood cuttings propagate me. I need a rich soil with a pH of neutral to slightly acidic. I am not bothered by any serious pests or disease and will tolerate deer browsing. I am excellent as a border, mixed hedge or even a specimen plant, if given enough room to spread.

Growing Pains Safety while gardening

What Am I?- by Jane Kuhn

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Winnebago County Master Gardener’s Business Meeting Minutes

January 13, 2015

The meeting was called to order at 6pm.

Treasurer’s Report: Mary Shepard presented the January report.

Secretary’s Report: The board minutes are posted to the website, and the business meeting minutes are posted in the newsletter.

OLD BUSINESS:

Awards

Service awards were presented at the December recognition dinner, but because all were not present, Diane Iott, Cindy Meszaros and Bill Weber were recognized at this meeting for achieving 1000 service hours.

Marge Menacher was recognized for receiving the Golden Trowel award.

NEW BUSINESS:

Projects: The new forms for projects will be emailed out to project leaders.

There will be a project lead meeting February 17th at 5:30pm at the Coughlin Center.

Long Term Project Leads Marge Menacher presented the School Project update and Diane Iott presented the Theda Care Memorial Garden update. Diane’s project will be wrapping up and turned over to Theda Care after this year.

A sign-up sheet was available for long term project leads to sign up to present at the Business meetings from now through May.

Cindy Meszaros announced the Master Gardeners will be present at the Winnebago County Builders Expo March 13 – 15th. We will not be at the Tri County Expo, as the cost increased sharply for this year.

Education: Winter Escape/Summer Dream seminar will be February 7th at Reeve Memorial Union at UW-Oshkosh. Sign up sheets are available via newsletter and an email from Ashley Rolph.

We are still accepting Silent Auction items for Winter Escape/Summer Dreams.

Sign-up sheets have been sent out for the Madison Bus Trip on February 14th.

Mentors: Ginny Slattery reported that many members of the new class requested a mentor. Interests include help with vegetable gardens, perennials, grasses and flowers, miscellaneous and herbs. Please contact Ginny if you would like this opportunity.

MINUTES

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Newsletter: Deadline for submission for the newsletter is the 15th of each month. Please send pictures as jpegs to Mary Jo Maher. You can also bring your memory card to be downloaded. Recipes should be sent to Linda Loker, and please cite your source for the recipe.

A new feature is Tried and True. Please submit any tips you’ve used in gardening and if they worked to Mary Jo or Kathy Gore.

Extension Update: Kimberly reported that Ashley Rolph is the support person for Master Gardeners. The workload in the office is adjusting with one person retiring and one taking a new position. Recruitment is active for replacements.

There is a new look to the nametags, and newly certified members received their nametags.

The membership books are available tonight for pickup, and others will be mailed out. There will be a list of corrections coming out.

Kimberly had a crazy worm sample for all to look at, courtesy of the DNR. Crazy worm is a very invasive species that destroys the soil it lives in.

SOP revisions: Revisions were discussed at the meeting, and a motion was put forward and passed to adopt the changes to the SOP.

Monarchs: Mary reported that the counts are not complete in Mexico, but initial indications are that the monarch population is up. The group was in favor of getting additional monarch friendly plants to add to gardens.

Group Project: If anyone has any ideas for another group project (similar to the Monarch effort), please let Mary or Linda know.

Other news: The next business meeting will be February 10, 2015.

Respectfully Submitted- Kathleen Schultz

Answer to “What Am I?”

I am Witch Hazel. Order: Saxifragales. Family: Hamamelidaceae. Genus: Hamamelis. Species: 3 of the 5

species are located in North America. Common names: winter bloom, snapping hazel. The witch hazel

bush is often called water witch as its branches were once used in England to search and find

underground sources of water and minerals. Native Americans used witch hazel tree bark to treat

sores, tumors and skin ulcers. When boiled, twigs were used for sore muscles, and a tea was used to

treat coughs, colds and dysentery. References: USDA Plants Database and associated links.

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LONG TERM Projects

UW Fox Valley Community Garden

open

Farmer’s Market

Dorothy Gayhart-Kunz, Janet Priebe, Synda

Jones, Patty Schmitz

Emmeline Cook School Gardens

Marge Menacher

Education Control of Invasive Species

Lawanda Jungwirth

Park View

Flower Arranging

Lil Hansche

Prairie Garden

Sally Lindo

Cutting Garden

Bill Weber

Vegetable Garden

Tom Weber

Lincoln Garden

Jo Helf

Plant Health Advisors

Ann Gratton

County Fair

Sue Bohn

Shared Harvest

Ken Friedman

Oshkosh Humane Society

Julie and Matt Miller

Paine Gardens and Arboretum

Virginia Slattery

Gardens of the Octagon House

Jerry Robak

Tri County Home and Garden Show

Cindy Meszaros]

Winchester Historical Society

Sandy Mathison, Mary Rebman

Carter Memorial Library

Pat Behm, Linda Petek

SMALL GROUP PROJECTS

St Raphael Church Linda Loker

MG Project Signage Deborah Drake

Habitat for Humanity Mary Sheppard

Time to Grow Virginia Slattery

Neenah Shattuck Park Mary Jo Maher

Theda Care Memorial Garden Diane Iott

Neenah Library Gardens Mary Jo Maher

Growing Oshkosh Lil Hansche

PROJECTS